Purpose: This research aimed to determine the relationship between perceived stress, breastfeeding motivation, and breastfeeding success among mothers whom infants’ hospitalization in the neonatal unit.
Methods: This cross-sectional study population consisted of 128 term infants’ mothers. Data were collected via introductory characteristics form, perceived stress scale, and breastfeeding motivation scale. Descriptive statistical analyzes, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis, Dunn-Bonferroni, Spearman correlation analysis were used for data analysis. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant in all analyses.
Results: In this sample, the perceived stress was higher among primiparous mothers who were primary and high school graduates, unemployed, did not receive breastfeeding training before delivery, and started breastfeeding immediately after birth. Breastfeeding motivation was higher among young mothers, university graduates, working, mothers with planned pregnancy, and who received breastfeeding training before delivery. The results also showed that mothers who graduated from high school and university, whose pregnancy was planned, and who received breastfeeding training before delivery had higher breastfeeding success scale scores. In the present research, it was found that as perceived stress decreased, breastfeeding motivation and breastfeeding success increased (p